what do you do when the power goes out?

[boozybears]

Hi everyone.. quick question for you.

The other day we had a bad storm and lost power for 30 minutes. My fish were confused but no worse for the wear. It did make me nervous though.. wondering what i'd do if it went out for a longer period of time.

What do you all do when the power goes out? How long can a tank last without filtration/aeration?

thanks!
Valerie

 

[Link]

Depends how big the tank is. The bigger the tank the longer it will take for the water to cool down and the longer it will take for ammonia etc to build up so in that respect the fish will be safer.
But there is the risk of the bacteria in the filter dying due to lack of oxygen. My main tanks pretty big (160 gallons) so I dont worry too much, but then again I've never had a huge powercut ince I've had the tank.
You can get these bits of kit that they use for pooters but I cant think of the name. You plug all the electrics into them and then plug it into the mains. In the event of a powercut it turns on and keeps everything going. The more stuff you have to operate the bigger it will need to be.
Wrapping the tank in a thick blanket will help keep in heat and adding cycle or something after may help reduce ammonia and give your filter a kick

 

[boozybears]

hi link.. thanks for your reply. I only have a 25 gallon. What about the oxygen? How do keep the fish breathing?

Val

 

[FishDan]

For the most part, bacteria will live for quite a long time even during a power outage, they are much more hardy than people give them credit for. unless your outage is going to be severe (along the lines of several days) I would not be worried about the bacteria.

As far as providing oxygen to your fish (this is important) there are a couple things you can do. You can use a battery powered air pump. You could stir your water. Or you could remove some water than pour it back into the tank and letting it splash a little. All these things will help oxygenate the tank.

\Dan

 

[Earthgirl]

Pray!
f worse comes to worse, I would plug in a battery operated air hose just to have some sort of water movement.
Our power has never been down for more than a couple of hours, so luckily, never happened, yet.....
touch wood,
run around the house 6 times, then backwards,
burn some dragon's blood incence for good measure.....

 

[boozybears]

thanks guys!

Val